MENU's Aegean Odyssey. Day 4 Istanbul: Spice Market, Topkapı, Hagia Sophia, Dinner at Kumkapı

A morning walk through the streets to catch a bus 

to the edge of the Bosporus, 

past the shoe shine men outside

the New Mosque 

(new is relative; they started it in 1597) 

with all the commercial activity in the streets
This is a Lokum (Turkish Delight) and Baklava stand

A nursery on the outside of the Spice Market, selling lovely vegetables and flowers

with a huge assortment of plants and seeds

Inside the spice market, where prices were massive and things were not always what they seemed
Our Spanish saffron knocks spots off theirs

and through, in search of a seller of lamb doner kebab recommended by Batur Durmay of Asitane

En route, stopped at a dealer in semi precious stones. A ball of quartz

and a huge rock of amethyst
Lynne bought an ammonite fossil pendant

Semi-precious stone beads in all colours

We looked up and down for Batur's recommendation and couldn't find it

So we settled on this one, selling beef. They told us lamb was too fatty for doner

Lynne was annoyed, because he served the biggest (expensive) portion without asking what we wanted

So we wandered through the lanes, looking at the displays of spices

and lokum

By a fountain in front of the new mosque, we found a bench and sat down

to eat the kebab. It was good

A sculpture of a seller of street food, which is everywhere in Istanbul

All the tram stops and Metro stations have these machines  at which one can replenish one's Istanbulkart travel pass

Entering the Topkapı (pronounced Topkahpuh) Park

Beheaded sculptures, which we took to be Roman

A cat who found the perfect bed in an antique basin

Walking through the park

to the palace entrance

where we joined the throng

and queued to buy tickets

to the palace museum and the harem. You need to know that this entails a lot of walking, as does getting anywhere in Istanbul

The Sultan's council chamber

with magnificent ceiling decoration

and wonderful details

Then to the clock museum

with amazing timepieces, poorly lit,

crafted from precious materials; the huge ormolu clock in the centre was presented to the Sultan by Queen Victoria

This Viennese clock, crusted with jewels

A verandah of the palace

and a long queue to see the famous jewels. Because Lynne was limping from a sprained foot, one of the doormen let us jump the queue. You are not allowed to photograph the jewels, sadly. They are appallingly lit and rather in need of a good clean. Luckily Lynne had packed a small LED torch and was able to illuminate them well, so that we could see the details. There are some amazing diamonds and rubies, the size of pigeon eggs. Lynne has a passion for jewellery and is trained in gemology, so this was fascinating

An ancient plane tree clinging to life

Beautiful stained glass and wall decoration everywhere

A view over the Bosporus from the Sultan's verandah

and a bronze door in a marble wall

Turkish ship A589 with an interesting history. Launched in 1943 as salvage tug USS Safeguard, she had a distinguished career in World War 2, Korea and Vietnam before being sold to Turkey in 1986

We walked over to the Harem. There is a lot of restoration going on and they mask it with drop cloths which show how it will look when finished

Back across the central courtyard

into the Eunuchs' hall

There are some amazing tiles in the Harem, very rare and beautiful 

Frescoes

...in the Sultana's (Head wife's) apartments

Superbly detailed tiles. Yellow was a very rare and expensive colour in tiles during this period, so these are very rare

An incredibly detailed stained glass window

A dome, as yet unrestored, made of fabric

A room for relaxing and talking

More superb windows in the Sultan's apartments

A large terrace, where the women could not be seen

A view of the Galata Tower across the Golden Horn

It is hard not to take photos of these magnificent windows

or these beautiful, vibrant tiles

Leaving the Harem

A view of the Karakoy district from Topkapı

A hooded crow

They were bathing in this small fountain

Having a lot of fun washing those feathers

Drip dry is the order of the day

Miniature Tudor roses

Police officers on patrol

Leaving Topkapı Palace, it is a very short walk down towards the Hagia Sophia, now a museum, the epitome of Byzantine architecture, and the world's largest Christian cathedral for 1000 years. They started building it in 537. Islam converted it into a Mosque in 1453 and added minarets, but many of the Christian relics remain

The Topkapı palace gate

Minarets and a dome, lots of mixed messages

Lots of restoration going on inside. Four six-winged seraphim feature in each corner, along with Muslim texts

John went up to the gallery to take photographs

An uncovered Pieta

Leaving Hagia Sophia you need to turn back

to see this Christian fresco

Ancient walls

You can walk to the Blue Mosque from here

Many of the historic buildings are grouped together in the same area, which has been turned into a park

A typical Turkish wooden building, now a hotel

We needed a beer after all that history and the long walk

Our early evening stroll to Kumkapı where the restaurants cluster. It was only about 7 minutes from our apartment

Superb tomatoes with lots of flavour. Bananas at prices that would make you gasp. But in-season cherries, peaches and apricots were 1 to 2 Turkish Lira per kilo (R4.50 to R9)

It's choose your restaurant time...

 We opted for this one. They promised a free drink, a free starter and a free dessert. Hmmm, don't believe a word

We sat next to a very entertaining couple from the UK; the young MD and his sales manager here for a fabric exposition and we had a lovely, jolly evening with them

We ordered a half bottle of wine, a white blend from Cappadocia of Emir and Narince; crisp and dry and R180 (ouch). Very supermarket quality, might have cost us R35 for a full bottle in Checkers. It went with the food. Tasted a bit like a Colombard Sauvignon blend

The rule in Turkey and Greece is that if you eat the bread on the table you pay for it, even it it is yesterday's, toasted. We ordered some cigara - cheese stuffed borek (filo pastry), and some aubergine and tomato as our starters

And the revolving Turkish band was out in force. They move from one restaurant to another and sit at a table with enough free spaces, even if you don't feel like having them there

The name of our restaurant

Lamb kebab with chips and salad

A grilled sea bream

An altar to wine?

Fish in the cold cabinet

Our bill. They add service willy nilly and you don't seem to be able to avoid paying it, despite being ignored for hours.  They try to tell you it is tax. Lots of broken promises too. R571. Not bad, but the food was very ordinary. Charming when they want you to come in, after that dismally slow service

Istanbul is definitely the place to buy shoes, this man was trading from the back of his car at 11 at night. No, we didn't buy any

A quiet walk home

past the Armenian Church

and into our street

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015

MENU's Aegean Odyssey. Day 3, Istanbul: Asitane, a restaurant with classic Ottoman cuisine

We decided to have an easy morning before going to one of  the "activities" we had planned when putting this trip together. We met Batur Durmay at Pete Ayub's Sense of Taste kitchen in Cape Town some years ago and he has been receiving MENU since then. He has a restaurant in Istanbul, Asitane, which specialises in traditional Fine Ottoman cuisine - 600 years of the Ottoman Empire's flavour legacy. Many years of research have gone into the recipes.

Up to now, all the restaurants we have seen have been very "touristy" with touts standing outside waving leaflets and menus and trying to persuade us to come in and take a seat. Asitane is very different...

We walked to our local Metro station about 15 minutes away and were immediately lost, went to the wrong platform for the line we needed and had to exit and start again. Fortunately a security guard gave us a metro map and told us which stations to use. So off we went

Two stations, and we needed to change lines, only to find that the next line was closed and we had to take a bus. These boys were cooling off in a sprinkler near the bus stop

Istanbul has a very good public transport system, once one learns to use it and learns a little Turkish. The Istanbulkart works on tubes, trams and large and small buses

From the last stop  we walked, got lost, asked for directions, got lost again, walked some more - we have found people, other than bus drivers, to be most helpful -

and walked alongside the old city wall

and eventually found Asitane after a two hour trip. It seems we should have taken a taxi which would have got us there very quickly

It has a lovely garden setting, cool and green under the Chestnut trees

And for inclement days, evenings and functions, a large indoor restaurant

The outside bar

Batur joined us, helped us to choose from the menu and suggested appropriate Turkish wines

Service was impressive, slick and polite

We started with glasses of this Turkish Rosé wine which smelt of rose hips and tasted of strawberries and grape must but was bone dry and very refreshing

Hot rolls, green fresh olive oil and a tapenade of green olive and walnuts

Batur ordered a tasting menu for us, smaller portions to share of some of the best dishes. This was a warm creamy almond soup from a 1539 recipe, sprinkled with some nutmeg and pomegranate aruls

Four tastes of Turkey to eat with the bread: 
L to R,  traditional 1469 chickpea humus delicately flavoured with currants, walnuts and cinnamon; fresh cottage cheese, spring onions, parsley, green pepper, tomatoes  seasoned with rosemary & paprika; broad beans with dill and olive oil; pounded cucumber with onion and pistachio. 
All are delicately flavoured 

The Kavaklidere Selection white wine we drank was made from unfamiliar grapes Narince and Emir, but had semillon notes and, on the palate, limes, slight Riesling notes but no terpenes, fruit present but bone dry and very good with the food. Served correctly in cold glasses

A delicate cabbage roll stuffed with chestnuts, rice, onions and delicate spices

In the front, what most South Africans might recognise as a skilpadjie. A fatty Apron Kebab: minced lamb and beef with coriander, cumin, pine nuts and mint and at the back a Balli Gemeci Boregi, deep fried pasta with white cheese, goat cheese, peas and finely chopped parsley

Our main course dish was so unusual and so delicious that, when melon season comes around again, Lynne might try making this. It's a cored, sweet juicy green cantaloupe
melon, stuffed with minced meats, rice, herbs, almonds, currants, pine nuts and then baked in the oven. The sweet fruitiness compliments the savoury; it doesn't fight with it. Lovely nuanced spicing

One large portion each

We finished our meal with double espressos

A friendly garden cat

Spring chestnut leaves

Our bill

The menus

A table setting

Wonderful perfumed 'orange blossom' bushes at the entrance

Next door is the Cora museum and lots of souvenir vendors selling traditional tiles and other enticements

Lynne had to explore the jewellery store and we met this very helpful Belgian store owner Alexis De Moulin, who just happens to be producing an on line food guide to Istanbul! How appropriate. He gave us lots of tips

At his suggestion, we walked down the hill to the side of the Golden Horn. We got lost a bit and it seemed a very long way, but we travelled through some very interesting neighbourhoods 

Hey, a local connection! In the most unlikely location

A falling down house. There are many
It seems the owners have left and no one is allowed to touch them, so they turn into ruins

And another

A Bulgarian church being restored - it is in the parkland alongside the Golden Horn

A view to Taksim and the Galata tower on the other, Asian,  side

We took a bus to the Haliç Metro. This Metro station is superbly modern. We could not understand  why the map placed it right in the middle of the Golden Horn. It has been built in the middle of a huge bridge spanning the water

The all around views from the platform are spectacular. Here is our train arriving

Walking back home through our colourful neighbourhood in rush hour. One needs to be careful with the pavements at night. They often have pitfalls like this

To view yesterday's instalment, click here
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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015